Connecting device



Oct. 20, 1931. G. 1 BEERs CONNECTING- DEVICE Filed Sept. 2, 1926WITNESSES:

AT ORNEY Patented ct. 20, 1931 currar) Amarier:

GEORGE L. BEERS, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T WESTINGHOUSE lELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY,A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIAooNNncrING .nnvfcn Aiip'iicatian med September 2, i926. serial No.133,106.

vide a p'lug-and-jack arrangement that cannot be correctly assembled foruse.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in devices of thetypedescribed, acontact system that is not subject to deteriora- 1'5tion.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in devices of the typedescribed, a plurality of self-cleaning contacts. l

Another object isv to provide, in devices of '20 the type described,separable plug-andjack members that are capable of being easily andquickly assembled. y

In the construction of radio receiving sets utilizing loop antennae asradiant energy re- 1:25 ceptors, it is necessary that meansv be providedfor permitting rotation of the loop. It is also necessary thatyconnecting vdevices be provided vvhereby the loop may be conduc# tively,orcapacitively, connected to the input e0 circuit of the set. In thepast, it has been customary to employ the Well known telephone plug andJack for this purpose, .the pluvbeing mounted on the loop-supportingshaft and the jack being made an integral 'and permanent part of theset.

l The pl-'ug-and-jack arrangement referred to, While sufficientlysatisfactory from a mechanical standpoint, is not satisfactoryelectrically. The contacts unav'oidably deteriorateY in use, with theresult that the set becomes noisy in operation. y

By my invention, I have eliminatedall moving contacts,providing,insteadA a plurality of fixed contact members on `theloopsupporting shaft and a plurality of complementary contacts on arotatable socket; I prevent incorrect insertion of the loop-shaft by anon-symmetrical disposition of the contact members, utilizin the Contactmembers l themselves as guides or proper positioning of the shaft in thesocket. I further equip each of the socket contact members With aflexible lead, thus permitting a limited amount of rotation and providea stop device to prevent undue strain from being applied to the flexibleleads.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims.

My invention itself, both as to its organiza#y tion and its method ofoperation, Will best be understood by reference to the followingdescription, taken in connection With the accompanying drawings, inWhich Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a loopantenna vcarried on a shaftequipped With contacts according to my invention; and

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, o a preferred form' of myinvention.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of element 17 of Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, a shaft 1 isp'rovided, at its upperend, With a hub 2 carrying four cross `arms 3, each of Which terminatesin a conductor-supporting mem# ber e. A conductor 5 is Woundcontinuously aroundthe supporting members 4.-, the beginning of theWinding being conductively connected to a contact member 6 carried bytheshaft 1, and the end of the Winding being connected to another'contact member 7 A third contactmember 8 is provided on the shaft, fromwhich a connection 9 is taken to the midpoint of the loop Winding.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, the shaft 1 is provided, at its lowerend, with a sleeve V one of the openings 13 in the sleeve 11 from theoutside thereof, and the other end 16 being bent around the sleeve 11 atright angles to the portion passing through the opening 13'.l Y

A washer 17, accurately cut ai et the in.'

terior of the sleeve 11, is provided with a pluralit of slots 18 toreceive the bent-over ends o the contact members and serves to hold themin place. Each of the contact members 14 is provided with a struck-uptongue 19 which fits into the narrowed portion of the slot 18 and servesto prevent relative rotation of the contact member and the Washer 17. Alurality of passage-Ways are bored in the s aft through which theconductors may be passed, the contact members being so disposed thateach one is immediately adjacent the lower end of the one of thepassage-Ways, in order that a conductor 21 may be passed through thepassageway and the circular portion of the slot 18, and be soldered tothe tongue 19. A plug 22 is provided to close the open end of the sleeveand may be aflixed thereto by a pin.

A bearing collar 23 encircles the sleeve a short distance above theresilient contacts 14 and is of such a size as to permit the shaft to beinserted only a limited distance into a cylindrical or cone-shapedbearing element '24. The cone-shaped element is supported from asub-panel 25 which may be an in- !tal part of a receiving set, to whichit is a xed by a plurality of bolts 2G, the bolts also serving tosupport a depending cylindrical element 27 provided with an inturnedflange 28 about its lower end. The upper portion of the cone-shapedelement 24 may project through an opening 30 in the upper anel of aradio receiving set cabinet or may ge so disposed as to be flush withthe surface of the panel.

.A socket element 29, generally cylindrical in shape and made of aninsulating material, is provided with a large central opening 31 and isrotatably mounted on the inturned flange 28, the opening 31 thus beingalined With the opening in the upper bearing element 24.

A bearing collar 32 is carried by the rotatable socket 29, this collarcooperating with a circular element 33 held between the upper bearingelement 24 and the lower supporting element 27 to prevent withdrawal ofthe socket.

A lug 34 is struck up from the lower bearing element 27, which lugcooperates with a pin 35, or a lug integral with the collar 32, toprevent rotation of the socket more than 360 degrees.

A lurality of channels 36 are provided axial y of the large opening 31through the socket element 29, a resilient contact member 37 beingdisposed in each channel. The resilient elements 37 have lower bentportions 38 which rest upon a shoulder 39, and are maintained inposition by a washer 41 throu h `which passes a retaining bolt 42 provied with a nut 43. A plurality of small openings 44 are provided in thelower end of the socket element, through which pass flexible leads thatare soldered or otherwise' affixed to the lower ends 38 of the resilientcontact members.

The contact elements 14, as Well as the channels 36, are disposedasymmetrically around the axis of the shaft and that of the socket,respectively.

When inserting the shaft into the rotatable socket, the non-symmetricallocation of the channels and the cooperating contacts ensures that eachcontact is properly positioned, since the contacts carried by the shaftmust be correctly alined with the channels before electrical contact ismade between the two sets of contact elements.

By reason of the fact that the members 14 and 37 are resilient, there islittle likelihood of their deteriorating in use, and, since they mustnecessarily be engaged and disengaged `by a rubbing motion, they are, atall times, self-cleaning.

The provision of the bearing element 24 obviates the necessity ofequipping the top panel of a receiving-set cabinet with a ferrule toreceive and support the bearin collar 23. lVhen using such a ferrule, itis qulte difficult to so aline the ferrule opening and the opening inthe shaft-receiving socket that the shaft will not have a tendency tobind.

My invention further obviates the necessity of providing a long, firmlymounted socket element in order to prevent the loop, which is ratherunwieldly, as a rule, from wabbling around a vertical axis, whenrotated. All of the weight of the loop is carried by the bearing collar,while the rotatable socket element 29 serves to prevent side-sway of thelower end of the shaft and, at the same time, completes the properelectrical connections.

f I ave, accordingly, provided an extremely eflicient connecting devicefor use with loop-antennae and one that may be furnished as an inte ralpart of a receiving set, irrespective o the type of cabinet with whichit is intended that the set be used.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a loop-supporting shaft having contact meansconnected to the loop, a rotatable socket member having contacts, acabinet for housing said rotatable socket member, said cabinet having atop, a fixed socket member supported independently of, and in spacedrelationship to said top and adapted for supporting said rotatablemember, and guiding means on said shaft for centering the shaft in saidfixed socket member in operative relation to the movable member.

2. In combination, a loop-supporting member comprising a shaft havingcontact devices adapted to be connected to a loop, a rotatable socketmember having contact devices, a. guiding member having an openingalined with the opening in the rotatable member, and means on said shaftcooperating with said fixed member for supporting said shaft within theopening of the fixed member in operative relation with the movablemember.

3. In combination, a loop-supporting shaft having a plurality of contactmembers, a rotatable socket having resilient contact members, a collaradapted to receive said shaft and position the contacts carried therebyin operative frictional relation with the socket contacts, flexibleleads connected to the socket cont-acts, and unitary means forpreventing any strain on said flexible leads when the shaft and thesocket are disengaged.

Ll. In combination, a substantially cylindrical element adapted toreceive and support in direct contact therewith a loop-carrying shaft, asubstantially cylindrical element depending from the shaft-receivingelement, a shaft-receiving socket rotatably supported by said secondcylindrical element, a plurality of resilient contacts carried by saidsocket flexible leads connected to said contacts, and means for limitingthe rotation of said socket.

5. In a socket adapted to receive a loopsupporting shaft, an insulatingmember having an opening axially thereof, a plurality of interiorchannels in the wall of said opening, an interior shoulder adjacent oneend of said opening, a contact member having a bowed portion and aknee-portion disposed in one of said channels, with the knee-portionresting on said shoulder, and means for retaining the knee-portionfirmly in contact with said shoulder.

6. In a socket adapted to receive a loopsupporting shaft, an insulatingmember having an opening therethrough, a. plurality of channels in theinterior wall of said opening, said channels being axial of the opening,a resilient contact member disposed in each of said channels, meanssupporting said insulating member for rotation around the axis of saidopening, flexible leads attached to said resilient Contact members, andmeans limiting the rotation of said insulating member.

7 In combination, a loop-supporting shaft provided with a plurality rofcontact members, a rotatable member having an opening therethroughprovided with guiding means and contact members in said socket locatedadjacent said guiding means, the contact members on the shaft beingdisposed on said shaft in a manner corresponding to said guiding meansin said socket, whereby they will permit insertion of the shaft into theopening only when said guiding means and said contact members arealined.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th dayof August,

GEORGE L. BEERS.

